Safety release for wringers



P. J. MALONEY ET AL SAFETY RELEASE FOR WRINGERS Filed Feb. 19. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0st. 7 E924.

P. J. MALONEY ET AL.

SAFETY RELEASE FOR WRINGERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19. 1923 Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

time? PETER J. MALONEY AND WILLIAM E. MALONEY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY nnwssn r02. means;

Application filed February 19, 1923. Serial No. 319,801.

To all whom it mymoncem:

Be it known that we, PETER J. MAmNEY and lVILLIAM E. MAnoNEY, both citizens of the United States, both residing at Worcester, in the county of ;Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Safety Release for Wringers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a wringer of the power driven type commonly used with automatic domestic washing machines. It is essential that adequate provision be made for the instantaneous release of the rolls in such a wringer, in the event that the clothing or person of the operator becomes entangled between the rolls. Such'provision is also necessary in case the clothing or other material passing through the wringer starts to wind up on one or the other of the rolls.

It is the general object of our invention to provide an improved safety release device for such wringers, by which the lower roll may be instant y dropped to inoperat ve position, simultaneously separating its driving connection.

With this general object in 'view, we provide a wringer in which the lower roll, while driven from the upper roll, is supported b a latch device in such a way that it may e instantly released. -When thus released, it is simultaneously disconnected from the upper roll and is left free in bearings.

Other features relate to a provision by which such a wringer roll may be suitably tensioned, to an improved reversing device for the rolls, and .to ,other features and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wringer embodying our improvements, with certain parts of the driving mechanism shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wringer;

Fig. '3 is a sectional elevation of the wringer and parts of the driving mechamsm' Fig 4 is a sectional end view, taken along the line4-4inFig.3;

Fig. 5 is a detail lan view of a latch, looking in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional end elevation, taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 3;

Figif is a view of certain separated parts, showing the operation of-the release device;

8 is a sectional plan' view of the re-- versing lever and connections, taken along the line 88 in Fig. 3; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional "lan views taken alon the line 99 in lgs. 1 and l010 in 'g. 3. a

Referring to the drawings, we have shown our improved wringer as comprising an upper roll 20, a lower roll 21, a roll shaft 22 (Fig. 3) and a vertical driving shaft The upper roll 20 and roll shaft 22 are supported by ball bearin 25 and 26 mounted mend members 27 an 28 constituting fixed portions of the wringer frame. A gear casing 29 isbolted to the frame member 27 and is provided with a depending sleeve 30 fitting over a post or standard 31 (Figs.

3 and 9) which may be fixed to the frame of a washing machine cabinet 32.

An intermediate shaft 33 has an upper bearing in the 0st 31 and a lower bearing secured to the upper end of the shaft 33 .and co-operates with a similar clutch member 42 at the lower end of the driving shaft 24. With this construction the shafts 33 and 24 have a positive driving connection when the parts are in the assembled relation shown in Fig. 3, but the entire wringer, together with the shaft 24' and depending sleeve 30, may be removed from the post 31 by releasing the spring plunger 39.

The shaft 24 (Fig. 3) is rotatable in upper and lower bearings in the casing 29 and supports a pair of bevel pinions 43 and 44. These pinions are free upon the shaft 24 but are provided with clutch teeth on their inner faces co-operating with similar clutch teeth on the opposite ends of a ooved clutch collar 46 slidable upon the s aft 24 between the bevel pinions 43 and .44. This clutch collar is keyed or otherwise secured from rotation on the shaft 24 and is moved wringer frame and when forced downward,-

with a pin 52 extending into a slotted projection 53 on the'side of the yoke 47. A ball lock 54 (Fig. 3) yieldingly holds the reverse lever and connected parts in neutralmid-position or in position to. drive the ea set the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, at the same time separating the driving gears 58 and 59.

It is thus evident that a blow or sudden pressure applied to the release plunger 73 immediately allows the lower roll to drop to a position where it is separated a substantial distance from the upper roll and is at the same, time disconnected from the driving mechanism and free for rotation,,if desired, in either direction. Any parts caught between the rolls are thus instantly released and clothing or other material Wound about wringer rolls in either direction through a the lower roll may be readily removed. If

.56 and 57 (Fig. 3) vertically slidable in the wringer end frame members. When inoperative position, the lower roll 21 1s drlven from the upper roll 20 through gears 58 and 59 of the usual double wringer type. The bearings 56 and 57 for the lower roll 21 rest upon cross bars 60 (Figs. 1 and 3) vertically slidable in the end frame member 27 and 28 and resting upon a spring plate 61. This plate 61 is pivotally connected to a lever 62 pivoted at 63 on the lower end of the frame member 27. At its outer end the lever 62 is pivoted at 64 to the lower ends of a pair of links 65 having inward prgjections or lugs 66 at their upper ends.

These links 65 slide freely vertically in the frame member 28 and the lugs 66, when in raised position, co-operate with projections 67 (Fig. 5) on the end of a latch 68. This latch is rigidly supported on a cross member 69 (Fig. 1) of the wringer frame and is slidable longitudinally to engage the lugs 66 of the supporting links 65.

A tension adjusting screw (Fig. 4) is threaded in the end of the latch 68 adjacent the projections 67 and maybe provided with an enlarged head at its lower end engaging the cross member 69 or some other vfixed surface of the wringer. By turning the tension screw 70, the latch 68 may be forced upward, thus applying tension t rough the links 65 and lever 62 to the spring plate 61 which supports the cross bars 60 and lower roll 21. The tension screw 70 also serves as a handle by which the latch 68 may be moved endwise to engage the lugs 66.

At its-opposite end, the latch 68 is provided with an elongated slot 71 (Fig. 5) which receives. the lower arm of a bell crank 72, the horizontal arm of which supports a plunger 73 (Fig. 3). The plunger 73 'is slidable in a bearing in the top of the moves this latch 68 in a direction to withdraw the projections 67 from the lugs 66 and thus release the lower roll 21. The roll 21 is then entirely unsupported and falls to bevel gear 45, fixed on the wringer shaft 22' the material is wound about the upper roll, the reverse lever 49 may be moved to neutral or reverse position for removal of the material.

The parts may be restored to. operative relation by raising the lever 62 and the connected links 65 and then moving the latch 68 endwise by means of the tension screw 70. The tension on the spring plate 61 should be released until the parts are thus latched, after which any desired tension may be applied by means of the tension screw 70.

Having thus described our invention and the operation and advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is 1. A wringer having an upper roll rotatably mounted in a substantially fixed position, a movably mounted lower roll, a latch to hold said lower roll in raised position, and a manually operated device to free said latch and release said lower roll, a spring to apply yielding tension to said lower roll, and means to adjust the spring tension, said adjusting means being also efspring-plate adjacent the center thereof, up- 0 wardly extending links connected to the free end of said lever, a latch for said links and manual means to release said latch.

3. A wringer having a frame, an upper roll rotatably mounted in substantially fixed position in said frame, a lower roll, bearings for said lowerroll, a spring-plate supporting said bearings at its opposite ends, a supporting lever pivoted at one end to said frame and pivotally connected to said spring-plate adjacent the center thereof, upwardly extending links connected to the free end of said lever, a latch for said links, manual means to release said latch, and means to pply upward pressure on said lid ing said bearings at its opposite ends, a sup porting lever pivoted at one end to said frame and pivotally connected to said spring-plate adjacent the center thereof, upwardly extending links connected to the free end of said lever, a latch for said links, and a vertically movable plunger to release said latch, said plunger being mounted on the top of said frame and above said upper roll.

5. A wringer having a frame, an upper roll rotatably mounted in substantially fixed position in said frame, a lower roll, bearings for said lower roll, a spring-plate supporting said bearings at its opposite ends, a supporting lever pivoted at one end to said frame and pivotally connected to said spring-plate adjacent the center thereof, up-

wardly extending links connected to the free end of said lever, a latch for said links, a bell-crank lever to move said latch, and a vertically movable plunger to move said bell-crank, said plunger being mounted on top of said frame and above said upper roll.

6. A wringer having a frame, an upper roll rotatably mounted in substantially fixed position in said frame, a lower rolLbearings for said lower roll, a spring-plate supporting said bearings at its opposite ends, a lever pivoted at one end to said frame and pivotally engaging said spring-plate adjacent the center thereof, a latch to hold said lever in raised position, and manual means to release said latch said manual means mounted at the top of said frame and above said upper roll.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto aflixed our signatures.

PETER J. MALONEY. WILLIAM E. MALONEY. 

